Sundays Around The Table

Room at the Table

Sundays around the table are one of the many blessings that our family has shared through the years. Whether at home or at our local favorite restaurant, gathering together after Sunday worship has always been something special. Life lessons, love, and more laughter than than I could ever measure frame these moments for our family. But one of the sweetest blessings of these times is always making room at the table for others.

Making Room For Friends

It is so important to be intentional in our relationships with others. I don’t know about you, but my calendar seems to fill up very quickly these days. It is so easy to get so busy with good things, like our families, that we neglect relationships with others. God designed us for relationship. One of the best ways to do that is by sharing a meal together. Invite a friend to your table. Laugh together. Share life together. It’s in these moments that problems seem a little lighter, busyness is set aside for quality time, and laughter truly becomes the best medicine!

Making Room For Strangers

It is definitely easier to make room for a friend, but what about a stranger? What about the person that is different from you? Is there room at your table and your life for that person? Are we too busy to see the needs around us? One of my favorite books is “Same Kind of Different As Me” by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. This book tells the story of unlikely friends and how God weaves their story together. If haven’t read this book, you need to grab a copy of it and a box of kleenex and read it now! Take the time this week to truly see the people around you and look for ways you can be a blessing! Strangers soon become friends! I learned some of my greatest lessons from my dear friends in Haiti. My life is better because of their faith and their devotion to the Lord that I witnessed during my time with them.

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Making Room For Jesus

One of the best lessons I was taught, was to invite Jesus to my table. When you invite Jesus to the table, you are welcoming him to fellowship with you. There is a relationship that takes place with those at the table. Remember, I said that many life lessons, love, and laughter happened at the table? All of those were permeated with the presence of Jesus.

I cannot remember a time in my life when we did not begin a meal with prayer. No matter where we were, home or restaurant, our family always began with prayer. This simple practice that my parents, my husband’s parents taught him, and we taught our children has been a way to make sure we make room for Jesus at our table.

This week be intentional in your relationships! Look for opportunities to make room for not only your family at your table but also make room for friends, strangers, and most importantly JESUS!

This week’s recipe is one that is a summer favorite around our house! The homemade ice cream is my mom’s recipe and is so fast and easy to make! The homemade chocolate syrup will take it over the top! A dear friend shared this with us in her home years ago and it was just what we needed at that time. The extra special touch of the homemade sauce and the sweet friendship ministered to us in such a special way. Even the simple things can bless people in ways that you never know! That was over 20 years ago! I just know you will love these recipes.